


of love & wedding rings

by celebratoryfondue



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, Space Wives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 10:44:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16852561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celebratoryfondue/pseuds/celebratoryfondue
Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day and River has a present for the Doctor.





	of love & wedding rings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [andmilestogobeforeyousleep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/andmilestogobeforeyousleep/gifts).



“Happy Valentine’s Day, my love,” River says, a soft smile on her face as she hands the Doctor a box covered in red wrapping paper and a bow. The Doctor’s eyes widen as she takes the box, her expression going through at least five different changes before it’s neutral again, clearly trying to hide how excited she is. River tries not to laugh at her reaction but the Doctor is just so adorable that she can’t help it. Valentine’s Day is not a holiday they usually get to spend together so the Doctor doesn’t know exactly what she should expect, and she has her own surprises for River but she didn’t think she’d be getting anything. 

 

“Valentine’s Day is just a silly Earth holiday,” the Doctor mumbles, as if she hadn’t been stressing about this day for the past week when they made plans to celebrate it, but she can’t hide how not-so-secretly pleased she is as she accepts it. “What is it?”

 

“Well, open it!” River urges, and the Doctor unties the bow and ungracefully rips the wrapping paper that had been carefully taped together. She lifts the cover of the box and stares.

 

“River—” The Doctor cuts herself off, unable to tear her eyes away. She looks at it for several more seconds and then when she finally turns to River again, she looks like she’s about to cry. She clears her throat and when she speaks, her voice is quiet. “River, I think I just fell for you all over again.”

 

Inside the box is a ring, the one that had fallen off the Doctor’s finger when she regenerated. She doesn’t know what to feel, she had spent  _ so long _ trying to figure out where it could possibly be but here it is now, sitting in a box that River has just given her. She doesn’t know when she started shaking but her hand is far from steady when she begins to take it out of the box so she can put it back where it belongs.

 

“Wait—” River interrupts, stopping the Doctor in her tracks. River doesn’t say anything more, instead gently taking the box away from the Doctor and taking the ring out herself. She takes the Doctor’s left hand slides the ring onto the designated finger, then brings the hand up to her lips to press a kiss to it. She gives the Doctor a smile as she pulls the hand away but still keeps it clasped in her own, not willing to let go. “There.”

 

“Thank you,” the Doctor whispers, biting her lip. She doesn’t say anything more, speechless for the first time in longer than she can remember. She and River look at each other for a moment and then before either of them even realize what’s happening, the Doctor is practically throwing herself at River. She ends up in River’s arms and she buries her face into her curls, shutting her eyes tightly. She’s unable to help the tears that escape her, quickly turning into full blown sobs before she can stop herself.

 

“Are you okay?” River asks, running her fingers through the Doctor’s hair to try to calm her down. The Doctor doesn’t say anything, instead settling with holding onto her even tighter. She’s let go of River before and she never will ever again. 

 

She sniffles and she’s vaguely aware she’s getting River’s shirt all wet but River doesn’t seem to care. She feels her tears slowing down anyway and she keeps her eyes closed, kissing her shoulder. She stays there for a moment and then finally pulls away, still keeping her hands on River’s arms.

 

“I’m okay,” the Doctor says, shrugging at River sheepishly. She hadn’t known she was a crier this time around and it’s not necessarily a bad thing but she’s used to just keeping her emotions bottled up all the time that she almost doesn’t know how to deal with it when her body decides to be open about it. “Sorry. I just got overwhelmed.”

 

“There’s no need to be sorry,” River tells her, and the Doctor shakes her head to herself because she has  _ no idea _ what she did in her lives to deserve her. She leans in to kiss her on the cheek but River turns her head slightly to catch her lips, and the Doctor is certainly not complaining because she is always up for proper kissing. 

 

The Doctor has kissed River throughout the majority of her regenerations but somehow, it always feels the same. Her mouth on River’s is always  _ perfect _ no matter what and this time feels no different; even though she’s standing in one place, she travels through planets and galaxies and vortexes and all of space and time and it’s everything she’s ever needed. She’s only brought back to the present when they pull away and she looks at River, as if she’s in disbelief. “Where’d you get it from?”

 

River smirks and she gives her a mischievous look. “Spoilers.”

 

“Spoilers,” the Doctor repeats. She hasn’t heard that word in a very long time but it still rolls off her tongue easily. It used to be a word she was once terrified of and would do anything to avoid but now it’s become a part of her and River and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s unable to help the smile that forms on her face at the thought of if she, two regeneration ago — the one that was absolutely terrified of River and tried to push her away for as long as possible because he couldn’t deal with falling in love with her because he knew she was going to die — could see them now, if he could see how  _ happy _ they are with each other, he would never believe it. She doesn’t even believe it now but River is right here in front of her on Valentine’s Day looking at her like she’s the only thing in the universe. She doesn’t know how she got to this point where she could be with River even after all that extra time they got to have together but she doesn’t want to question it. She grins at River, suddenly feeling very giddy. “Do you want to check out that one Valentine’s Day planet? It’s a new one and I’ve never been so I thought we both could. We don’t have to if you don’t want to, of course. But there are people actually shaped as hearts and—”

 

“Darling,” River interrupts because as cute as it is when the Doctor goes off on tangents when she’s trying to impress her, River would gladly go anywhere with the Doctor. “I’d love to.”

 

“Great!” the Doctor says, grinning. “I’m driving, though.”

 

River shakes her head fondly but doesn’t argue and the Doctor takes her hand. Her eyes are still red and puffy but the weight of the ring on her finger gives her a sense of peace, a reminder that everything is okay.

**Author's Note:**

> i promised Libnos i'd write her Space Wives fluff if she wrote me angst soooooo here it finally is!!!! i'm sorry it took so long omg i hope you like it!!!!!!!!!!!


End file.
